A glove compartment or glove box is a compartment typically present as part of a dashboard or instrument panel in a motor vehicle and is located above the front-seat passenger's foot well. The glove box can be used for storage of a number of different items such as gloves, the motor vehicle owner's manual, proof of insurance documents and the like. Given the location of the glove box being in front of a passenger traveling in the front seat of the motor vehicle, it is desirable that the glove box have energy absorbing capabilities in case of an accident.
Heretofore, glove boxes have typically used a brace or bracket to attach a glove box to an instrument panel reinforcement. The brace or bracket attaching the glove box to the instrument panel reinforcement absorbs energy if and when the glove box is impacted, for example by a passenger's knees during a sudden stop or collision. In addition, the glove box itself can absorb energy by deflecting or collapsing when impacted by a passenger's knees. Although the brace or bracket that attaches the glove box to the instrument panel reinforcement can absorb energy during a collision, an energy absorbing structure or structures that would eliminate the need for such braces could reduce hardware, cost and labor to attach the glove box to the instrument panel reinforcement. Therefore, such an energy absorbing structure or structures would be desirable.